These guides to the microfilms entitled "The Mather papers" cover the filming of the papers of Cotton Mather (1663-1728), and the papers of his father, Increase Mather (1639-1823). The guides give summaries of the contents of each reel. Cotton Mather is famous as a clergyman involved with the witch trials in Massachusetts; he was also an intellectual, author, and scholar. His father, Increase Mather, was also a famous clergyman who served as president of Harvard College between 1685 and 1702. The microfilms of both sets of papers serve as original sources for genealogical and family history research, and also serve "... to disseminate widely important source material for the study of early New England history ..."--Introduction, pt. 2.

An authoritative selection of the writings of one of the most important early American writers “A brilliant collection that reveals the extraordinary range of Cotton Mather’s interests and contributions—by far the best introduction to the mind of the Puritan divine.”—Francis J. Bremer, author of Lay Empowerment and the Development of Puritanism Cotton Mather (1663–1728) has a wide presence in American culture, and longtime scholarly interest in him is increasing as more of his previously unpublished writings are made available. This reader serves as an introduction to the man and to his huge body of published and unpublished works.